Simbang Gabi: Filipino Christmas Tradition

Catholic Filipinos begin a novena (a series of nine masses) on December 16th. The masses are part of the Christmas tradition of Simbang Gabi, a Tagalog phrase that literally means “Night Worship.”

Filipinos go to church before dawn and afterward have breakfast with family or friends. A traditional drink during this season is a warm ginger tea called salabat and a traditional treat is a flat but thick yellow rice cake called bibingka.